News of the Week
Disarmament
UR Correspondent at Geneva reports on another page 1.-/ that there is a growing feeling of hope there that the Disarmament Conference will have good results. In our representative, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, we have great confidence, though he has not the experience or inspired enthusiasm of Lord Cecil, whose presence there is not official. The experience and good sense of the President of the Conference will certainly prove very valuable. The first days of the session were spent in the lengthy business of examining . the credentials of every delegate and in receiving monster petitions from all over the world in favour of disarmament. The delegates probably agree with the petitions, and must envy those whose responsibility to their countries ends in writing their names. On Friday, the 5th, the proposals of the French Government were presented by M. Tardieu and caused great interest; for they were generally unexpected. They include. the internationalization of civil aviation ; the League alone to control heavy bombing machines ; heavy artillery and vessels carrying eight-inch guns or being of 10,000 tons, and large sub- marines to be at the disposal of the League ; an inter- national police force at the disposal of the League and under command organized by it, to be used as a threat or an active fighting force against.an "aggressor "nation..
